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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686937">Surprise!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggsEgghead/pseuds/EggsEgghead'>EggsEgghead</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Resurrection, Some Humor, Surprise Kissing, Temporary Character Death, Young Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:35:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggsEgghead/pseuds/EggsEgghead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>During a harsh battle, Shea finds that her best friend, Nic, is gravely wounded. After the battle, he surprises her one more time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original D&amp;D Character(s)/Original D&amp;D Character(s)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Surprise!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm horrible with both titles and summaries but uh. Enjoy?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>The thunderous boom of the falling frost giant rocked the city to its core once again as villagers fled the scene in a frantic hurry. Shea pushed her way through the crowd, racing towards the now fallen giant. Behind her, she could hear her friends shouting for her, running after her as she raced towards what could be her own death. Above her, boulders flew through the air and crashed down on the city, but Shea tuned out everything around her as she pressed onward.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>She had watched Nic fall from the sky, his griffin having been swatted out of the air by one of the giants. Shea had told him aerial combat was a bad idea, but he was determined and she let him go. Regrets were racing through her mind as she shoved past a line of armed guards and right into the battle happening on the edge of the city. Shea hurried through the carnage, barely avoiding swinging blades and volleys of arrows as she ran headfirst into danger.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Nic!” Shea attempted to shout over the sounds of combat, but her voice was drowned out by the blast of a nearby explosion. The force of the blast knocked Shea off her feet, tossing her to the ground as another volley of arrows flew through the air and into the chest of a giant. Shea barely managed to roll out of the way of a falling boulder before pulling herself, unsteadily, to her feet. She took a minute, closed her eyes, and shifted her gaze back to where it had always been.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The color quickly drained from the world around her and Shea was left standing in a world of grey. All around her, she could see the souls of those who were still alive. Different colored orbs of life energy ran across the battlefield, some getting snuffed out on the way.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Someone get her before she gets hurt!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Shea could hear the voices of her friends behind her but she didn’t stop to wait for them. Across the battlefield, she could see a familiar, one armed silhouette and a bundle of fading life energy.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Nicholas!” Shea’s voice didn’t carry far and was easily drowned out by the cacophony of battle around her. She pressed forward into the fray, heading for the dying light across the battlefield. She weaved in and out between the soldiers fighting alongside her and her party and hurried around craters created by the feet of the giants. She stumbled over bodies and struggled to keep steady as the earth shook beneath her. Eventually, she was thrown off her feet again by the force of a fireball exploding behind her. Shea felt the fire on her heels as she hit the ground once again, her sight quickly dissolving out of her ethereal vision. Blood began to run down her face from where she had hit her head after falling.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea’s vision was blurry and her balance unsteady. She struggled to get back to her feet, only to fall to her knees once again. A short distance away, she could see a body lying face down. Around it, feathers were scattered about. To the right, Shea could clearly make out the body of a griffin. She crawled forward over the bodies of the fallen, determined to make her way to her best friend’s side. She fought against the throbbing pain in her head, the aching in her muscles, to his side. Weakly, she sat up and rolled Nic’s body over, pulling him into her lap.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Nic’s body was tense, but when he opened his eyes and saw Shea above him, he relaxed somewhat. His body was shaking from shock and he did his best to keep pressure on the gash in his stomach. It seemed that, no matter how hard he pressed, the blood wouldn’t stop coming.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Shea...you’re okay..?” Nic’s voice was quiet but Shea listened closely, distancing herself mentally from the chaos around her and focusing on Nic.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Yeah...thank the gods you’re alive…”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Barely.” Nic laughed and a small stream of blood trickled out from his mouth, followed by a cough. “I can’t see very well...how bad is it? I’m...I’ll be okay, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea stared down at Nic and swallowed down what would have been a sob. She fought to keep the tears in her eyes as she moved Nic’s hand away from his wound, applying the pressure herself. She didn’t respond for quite some time as she was at a loss for words.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You’ll be fine.” Her voice faltered. She had always been a terrible liar. Narian had always pointed that out to her as she got older.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Nic grew silent as Shea tended to his wounds. She worked hard, but there was too much for her to fix on her own. She focused on trying to stop Nic from bleeding out.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Hey…” Shea stopped working when Nic suddenly spoke. He was staring up at the sky. “I...I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. This really was a bad idea, you were right. I just...I thought it would be something cool to tell my family when I got home…that I fought giants while on the back of a griffin…”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea stared at Nic for a long time. Tears slowly made their way down her dirtied cheeks as she smiled at him. “It was cool until you got knocked out of the sky.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Nic laughed again, only to cough up more blood. He let his head fall back into Shea’s lap. “Did I do good?” Nic’s voice was becoming weaker, but regardless, he still looked for Shea’s approval. Her smile widened but more tears fell from her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You always do.” Shea turned her attention back to the gaping hole in Nic’s stomach. She had bandaged the area, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. She could only hope to get Nic to a cleric but she wasn’t strong enough to carry him. She could only wait for the rest of the party to find her.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Shea,” Nic’s voice grew serious, “I...I know I’m not doing well. You’ve always been a terrible liar...but I’m glad that you found me. I didn’t want to die alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You’re not going to die.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“There you go again with the lying. Please, Shea, for my sake and yours, stop. Be serious with me...I don’t want the last words I hear you say to be lies…”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea pursed her lips and nodded. “I...I can’t stop the bleeding. I’d bring you back to Nala but I can’t carry you. I’m sorry, I’m useless…”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Maybe it’s for the best.” Nic stared off into the sky. He sighed. “It’s about time my mistakes got me in trouble...but I’m glad. I can’t say I regret any of the decisions I’ve made. Every day’s been an adventure and...and I’m glad I got to share it with my best friend.” Nic paused. “That’s you, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea let out a soft laugh as Nic wearily wiped the tears from her eyes, streaking his blood across her cheek. He softly pulled Shea’s head down to his level and wrapped his arm around her in a very weak hug. Shea carefully held Nic’s body close to hers as she felt his breathing get softer.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“We all make mistakes. I’m just happy that I got to help you fix most of yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You’re a good friend…” Nic stared blankly over Shea’s shoulder. In the distance, he could see a group of people running towards him as his vision started to fade. Gaius’s figure was easy to pick out amongst the crowd, his large horns and tail sticking out like a sore thumb. Nala blended in a little more easily, but being a dragonborn, it wasn’t too hard to pick her out from a crowd. “Thank you for everything, Shea...You’ll always be my best friend…”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea couldn’t find the words to respond, but she managed a nod as she finally let her emotions loose. She couldn’t find her voice amidst her sobs.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I’ll always be looking out for you…” Nic’s voice became weaker and he closed his eyes. Shea could feel the warmth leaving his body, but she continued to hold him close, hoping that she could somehow give him the life from her body. His arm slowly slipped from around her before falling, lifeless, to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Shea could hear pounding footsteps coming up from behind her as she felt the last giant fall. The ground shook as the rest of her party approached her. No one said anything as Shea turned to look at them, Nic’s body in her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Shea, you have to be more careful, you could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Gaius stepped forward and held a hand out for Shea to take. She didn’t take it. Instead, she looked down at Nic’s body.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Nala,” Shea’s voice got the dragonborn’s attention, “can you help him?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Well, no. I used the last of my magic, but we can take him back to the temple. Maybe someone there can.” Nala knelt down in front of Shea and gently took Nic’s body from her. Shea took Gaius’s hand and let him pull her to her feet.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You look like you could use some healing, too.” Gaius wiped some of the blood from Shea’s face, his fatherly instincts immediately kicking in. Shea just shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I’ll be fine. Let’s just get to the temple.” Shea gently pushed past Gaius and started to head back to town. Gaius and Nala watched as she stepped over the rubble and bodies, impeded by a slight limp. Though Shea had always been rather quiet, the two could tell that she was upset. In silence, they followed behind her to the temple, Nala carrying Nic's now limp body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     "How is he?" Shea was pacing back and forth in the temple as a cleric emerged from a back room. When she spoke, her pacing didn't stop. The cleric sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "We're doing what we can until the head cleric comes back from the battlefield. He's...holding on. He's breathing again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     There was a collective sigh of relief from the group. Gaius held his head in his hand and Nala visibly slid down in her seat, exhausted. Shea's pacing stopped and she approached the cleric.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Can...can we see him?" Her voice was soft now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     The cleric nodded and motioned for everyone to follow him as he led them to where they were taking care of Nic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nic's body was lying across a cot that was set up in a back room. He was still, but the cleric assured everyone that he was alive. Shea approached and sat beside him, taking his hand in hers and looking down at him. She sighed to herself and ran her thumb across the back of his hand, still dirtied with blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "You're a fucking idiot…" Shea shook her head and rested her elbows in her thighs, pulling Nic's hand up so her forehead pressed against his knuckles. She closed her eyes and let her gaze shift again. When she opened them, she could see Nic's life force, a very faint orb of pale green light. At least she knew he was alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "When do you think the head cleric will be here?" Gaius's voice eventually broke the silence in the room. Shea looked over to him and was assaulted by the bright light of his soul. She squinted and turned her head back to Nic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Soon, hopefully. I sent a priest out to get her." The cleric nodded before making his way to Nic's other side. He sat down and looked at Shea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Has his arm always been missing?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Shea just closed her eyes and nodded. After a moment, she spoke. "Did anyone grab his gauntlet?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Gaius and Nala looked at one another before Nala quickly left the room. Gaius pulled a chair over beside Shea and sat. The father in him wanted to scold her for her recklessness, but now wasn't the time. He just put a hand on her back and kept it there, offering his silent support.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Gaius." Shea mumbled quietly and she gave Nic's hand a squeeze. "I already know what you're going to say. I'm…sorry. For being so careless."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Gaius shook his head. "I wasn't going to say it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "You were thinking it." Shea scoffed. Gaius couldn't help but grin. She could read anyone like an open book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "I was. But so long as you're okay, it's fine. If you hadn't found Nic, we might have…" Gaius trailed off when Shea turned her eyes to him, now a soft grey instead of their usual blue. She was squinting at him but he could see the tears welling up. He shook his head again. "Nevermind. You did a good job."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Shea sighed quietly and turned back to Nic. His face was peaceful. It was almost as if he was sleeping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     After some waiting, a new person hurried into the room. Gaius and the cleric turned to see the head cleric of the temple, a priest standing just outside the door. The head cleric looked exhausted, but she approached Nic's body. The priest had presumably briefed her on what had happened and she got to work right away, channeling healing magic into Nic. Shea watched intently as the magic seeped into his skin, cuts and bruises slowly starting to heal as he absorbed the magic. Shea could see the glow of his soul grow brighter as the magic enveloped it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     When Nic shifted, everyone relaxed. The head cleric stopped healing as he groaned, his hand pulling away from Shea's to feel where the gash in his side was. His fingers felt along the torn edge of fabric and armor before pressing against his skin. Slowly, his eyes opened and squinted against the light filtering in through the window. He vacantly looked around at the blurry faces staring down at him and blinked, forcing his eyes to focus. When they shifted to Shea, his features immediately relaxed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Shea…" Nic mumbled quietly and reached up to her, his fingers brushing against her cheek before he held his hand against her face. Shea reached up, too, her hand resting on top of his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "I'm here." Shea's voice was soft. Nic could see the tears in her eyes. He could only smile up at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Shea stared down at Nic before she felt her face get hot with emotion. She furrowed her eyebrows and frowned. "Don't you ever do that to me again! Listen to me next time!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nic chuckled to himself as Shea scolded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "It's not funny! You </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Nic! Do you hear me?! You were </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you asshole!" Shea shouted at him as the tears finally overflowed, streaking down her cheeks. "You're an idiot!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "You sound like my mom." Nic grumbled but was grinning. It only riled Shea up more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "</span>
  <em>
    <span>That's because I </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>care</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> about you, jackass!</span>
  </em>
  <span> What if--"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Shea continued to shout but was cut off abruptly as Nic moved his hand back through Shea's hair, his hand pressing against the back of her neck. He pulled her head down to where he was lying on the cot and pulled himself up just enough so his lips could meet hers. Shea blinked and her eyes went wide as Nic kissed her. The two could hear Gaius gasp a little as everything happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Soon afterwards, Nic let his head fall back against the pillow behind his head. His hand slowly moved back out from Shea's hair and he brushed his knuckles against her cheek, the small scales on her skin rough against his skin. Shea stared at him in shock, her face red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "You're cute when you're angry." Nic laughed to himself as Shea swatted his hand away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "And you're a jerk." Shea complained loudly and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. She scooted back in her chair and quickly escaped everyone's eyes as Nala came in, clearly confused. Gaius just gave Nala a grin and motioned for her to bring Nic's gauntlet over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     Shea stood, still flustered, outside of the temple. She brought a hand to her face, her fingertips brushing against her lips as she thought about the kiss Nic has given her. His lips were softer than she had expected them to be. She jumped when Nic materialized in front of her and scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "...What?" She crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. Nic chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You ran off."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Yeah, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>kissed me</span>
  </em>
  <span>! </span>
  <em>
    <span>In front of everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" Shea was almost shouting again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "It wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Nala wasn't there." Nic joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Shea scoffed. "She might as well have been!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nic sighed and frowned. "Did it really make you that upset? I'm sorry." He reached out and put a hand on Shea's shoulder. She didn't pull away like he expected her to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "It's…fine." Shea's disposition softened and she slowly turned her face back to him, though she was hiding part of it behind her hair. Her cheeks were still tinged pink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Gently, Nic brushed her hair back behind her ear so he could see her. Shea stared up at him shyly, twiddling her fingers. She eventually sighed and reached up, taking Nic's face in her hands. He leaned heavily into her touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Next time just warn me. Or, you know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nic couldn't help but laugh. Shea grumbled. He shook his head and sighed happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "Okay, I'll ask then. Can I kiss you again?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "No." Shea smirked and pulled her hands away from him. "You can't. Not until you buy me a pork bun. Then I'll consider it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nic laughed again and wrapped an arm around Shea's shoulders, holding her close. Shea leaned against him a little and smiled to herself as he started to lead her back towards the part of the city that wasn't destroyed in the battle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     "I can do that."</span>
</p>
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